October 2026 Mathematics Courses: Your Complete Guide

Perfect timing for November’s competition and excellent for 11+ preparation

This course focuses on the core topics that appear year after year in the Primary Maths Challenge. We’ll work through problem-solving strategies for arithmetic, logic puzzles, geometry, and numerical reasoning. The format mirrors the actual challenge, helping students build both skills and confidence.

All the questions will be Kevin’s original creations, designed based on questions from recent years and will help students to develop the mathematical thinking to be able to tackle unfamiliar problems. It’s not about memorising techniques; it’s about building genuine problem-solving ability.

The overlap with 11+ preparation is substantial. The problem-solving approach, the mathematical thinking, and many of the specific topics align perfectly with what selective schools test. Whether you’re preparing for November’s challenge, January 11+ exams, or both, this course will strengthen your child’s mathematical foundations.

Building the essential foundations

If your child is in Year 7 or 8 and will be taking the Junior Maths Challenge in April/May, this course covers the fundamental topics that form the backbone of success.

These aren’t the very hardest problems in the JMC, but they’re the ones that determine whether students achieve Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Many students miss out on higher certificates simply because they haven’t fully mastered these core areas. This course ensures those foundations are solid and will also allow students to confidently move on to the Advanced courses later in the year.

Even if your child is still in Year 6 or younger, they’re very welcome if they’re working at this level. The Junior Challenge is an excellent target for strong primary students.

For students targeting Gold and beyond

This is where we move beyond the fundamentals into the territory of the hardest JMC questions – for students aiming for Gold certificates and hoping to qualify for the follow-on Junior Kangaroo and Junior Olympiad rounds.

We’ll explore divisibility rules, number patterns, algebraic thinking, and the kind of clever arithmetic that appears in questions 20-25 of the JMC. These are the problems that separate good performances from exceptional ones.

If your child achieved Bronze, Silver or even Gold in a previous JMC and wants to push for Gold or qualification for the follow-on rounds, this course will challenge and develop them.

Essential skills for IMC success

The Intermediate Challenge in January is just around the corner, and this course covers all the core material that students need to be able to reach the Bronze and Silver certificate boundaries and beyond. There will be lessons on the core topics in number, geometry and problem-solving, and plenty of practice on original challenge-style problems.

We’ll work through problems methodically, building both speed and accuracy. By the end of the week, students should feel significantly more confident about these fundamentals, ready to tackle the IMC and to move on to the Advanced courses. Many students also take the Advanced course at the same time – they are designed to complement each other well.

Targeting the hardest IMC questions

This course tackles the more sophisticated topics needed for the IMC, with a particular focus on problems in number theory, arithmetic and algebra, as well as some mixed-topic problem-solving questions. [A second Advanced course focused on geometry and problem-solving questions will run in the Christmas holidays (separate booking required).]

These are the skills needed for questions 16-25 of the IMC and will help students reach a Gold certificate and qualification for the Kangaroo and Olympiad rounds.